Shhhh…the news is out about the limited edition, all-new, all-electric Aston Martin Rapide E: 155 copies will be assembled next year, and not one more.

A first for the iconic British sports carmaker, whose automobile heritage is inextricably linked with suave secret service character James Bond, the all-electric Rapide E was originally introduced in 2015 as a concept.

Now, in its first move towards the electrification of its vehicles, Aston Martin has acquired the services of Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), already specialising in EV technology with the announcement of their Hyperbat Limited venture just this week.

With the aim of kickstarting “a new era for Aston Martin’s powertrain technology and overcome the technical challenges associated with packaging the battery system and motors within the space available,” the two companies have developed the Rapide E, and the media team have not held back on details.

It will incorporate a 65 kWh battery, which powers two rear-mounted electric motors and developing a total of not less than 610 horsepower – and an incredible 950 Nm of torque.

On a 50kW 400V charger, the car can recover 185 miles (200 km) per hour of charge. On a 100kW 800V charger, the recharge rate is 320 miles (over 500 km) per hour.

In terms of performance, figures announced by the British automaker are a top speed of 250 km/hr, and acceleration of 0-96km/hr in less than 4 seconds.

Aston Martin highlight that this performance is not only possible when the battery is full, stating that ‘the target is for maximum performance on-demand throughout majority of the battery state of charge window, as would be expected from a conventional internal combustion-engined car.

This includes the ability to drive a full lap of the Nürburgring with absolutely no derating of the battery and the ability to cope with the daily demands of repeated hard acceleration and braking.’

In order to retain the feel of driving the V12 Rapide, Aston Martin are promising its 155 limited edition customers Pirelli P-Zero tyres with low rolling resistance and anti-noise foam, as well as a limited slip differential to ensure high quality handling for which the British carmaker’s vehicles are known.

As for the price? That’s one thing the British carmaker are not letting potential buyers in on – though they have hinted that it will be in the vicinity of £200,000 – that is, around $A364,000.

For those considering shelling out for the limited edition Aston Martin Rapide E, a little patience: the first deliveries are scheduled for at least 12 months away!